Clachan

A clachan (Irish: clochán, pronounced [kʰl̪ˠoxɑːn] or clachan, pronounced [kʰl̪ˠɑxɘn]; Scottish Gaelic: clachan, [kʰl̪ˠaxan]; Manx: claghan, pronounced [kʰl̪ˠaxan̪]) is a type of small traditional settlement common in Ireland, the Isle of Man and Scotland until the middle of the 20th century. Originally kirktowns, today they are usually defined as small villages lacking a church, post office, or other formal building. Their origin is unknown, but it is likely that they are of a very ancient root, most likely dating to medieval times. A true clachan would have been a cluster of small single-storey cottages of farmers and/or fishermen, invariably found on poorer land. They were related to the rundale system of farming. According to David Lloyd, The Great Famine in Ireland (1845–49) caused such disruption to the social system that the clachans virtually disappeared. In some cases, they have evolved into holiday villages, or one or two houses have taken over, turning smaller houses into agricultural outhouses. The remains can be seen in many upland and coastal areas. Sometimes they are clustered in a dip in the landscape, to protect from Atlantic winds, other times they stretch haphazardly along main roads.

The word is composed of two elements, clach/cloch meaning "stone" and the masculine diminutive suffix -an/-án. It originally denoted one of two things:

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